


Dance With Me in the Pale Moonlight

by Zazibine



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult Arcobaleno (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Alternate Universe - 1980s, Aristocracy, Child Gokudera Hayato, Child Sawada Tsunayoshi, Fairy Tale Elements, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Parent Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Parent-Child Relationship, Period-Typical Homophobia, Protective Gokudera Hayato, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Unconventional Format, Unconventional Uses for Dying Will Flames
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23033713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zazibine/pseuds/Zazibine
Summary: Growing up as the bastard son of an Italian noble in the 1980s, Gokudera Hayato is desperate for an escape from his family's disdain and apathy. During yet another fancy banquet thrown by his family, he finds it in the form of an orange-eyed boy sitting on his balcony with more than a few secrets. Clearly he must be some sort of fairy here to grant his wish!Enter Sawada Tsunayoshi, who's not a fairy, does not have magic, and would very much like for his life to start making sense again.This is going to be a long summer.
Relationships: Gokudera Hayato/Sawada Tsunayoshi, Reborn & Sawada Tsunayoshi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Dance With Me in the Pale Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be formatted as more of an outline than anything because if I wrote this out for real, it would be something like 100+ pages long and I don"t have the time nor motivation for that. That being said, this will still hopefully be an enjoyable read and I encourage you to try it before you dismiss it entirely.
> 
> Links to my resources and the fun things I looked up while writing this will be below. They aren't necessary to understanding the story, but it does add a bit of depth to details that got touched upon but not expanded below.

-The setting is 1980s Europe- the internet is still in its infancy, cell phones are giant bricks, and balls and other parties are still stubbornly popular, much to the young Hayato's displeasure. 

-Hayato is at a banquet his parents are throwing in Italy and is thoroughly sick of it as he’s 8 and bored and frustrated that as a bastard child, everyone and their mother is either ignoring him or looking down on him. He's just wandering out onto a marble balcony, fingers twitching, looking for something to distract him, when he notices a mysterious boy sitting on the railing. He’s slim and pale with skin that's like new milk and is just as smooth. His eyes are far away, glowing orange in the dim night and his fluffy brown hair is threaded with starlight. He looks young. He looks ancient. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was clearly breathing, huffing out soft clouds into the autumn chill, Hayato would think he was carved from stone. The boy is also wearing blue and white striped pajamas and is sitting on a 4-inch wide railing on a balcony 3 stories up, with no signs of how he got up there. As you can probably guess by now, this is Tsuna.

-The illusion of majesty and magic is promptly broken when the boy finally notices Hayato standing there and starts stuttering apologies and offers to leave. He wasn’t invited, after all, and appearing without an invitation is rude, right? As Tsuna flails, Hayato, a little winded by the boy’s beauty and somehow disappointed by his very human, very _annoying_ behavior, is all set to get angry and start yelling. That is, until Tsuna overbalances, almost falling off the balcony, and Hayato is filled with a wave of panic as he has to catch him. He drags the brunet away from the edge and to the middle of the balcony, the pair shaking with adrenaline, and the two collapse onto their backs, staring up at the stars. Suddenly, Tsuna begins to laugh which causes Hayato to sit up and start yelling at him for nearly killing them both and how dare he be so careless, he scared him, damn it! The brunet sobers but keeps his grin, and as he sits up, Hayato is struck dumb by how the boy’s eyes go from bright orange to a dull, molten brown. All he can think is that this boy is beautiful, is strange and wonderful, and that even looking at this fae creature is enough to make him feel a little lost.

-Tsuna just continues smiling and chuckles a bit apologetically. “Huh, I guess I owe you my life. Sorry about all,” he gestures to the railing, “that. My name is-” And here Hayato panics again and slaps a hand over the other boy’s mouth, shaking his head frantically. Hayato, with no siblings he actually likes and few ways to keep himself entertained, has been raised on a steady diet of music and fairytales. He lives for the few spots of joy he can find in his life, and this boy has all the markings of something truly magical, something he doesn’t want to ruin so quickly.

-“No! I don’t want your name, you don’t owe me _that_ much, Mr. Fairy!” Tsuna flinches back, startled, as Hayato grabs his shoulders and looks at him with desperation in his eyes. “No matter _what_ you owe me, you should never give somebody that much power over you.” The brunet freezes for a long moment, eyes wide. “Is it really that obvious?” he whispers, going slack in Hayato’s hold. Hayato just winces and nods a bit, at which Tsuna curls up into a ball and clutches his knees. “Sorry. If you want me to leave just say so, I won’t bother you again.”

-(There’s a bit of a misunderstanding going on. When Hayato calls Tsuna a fairy, he means it in the sense of the fair folk and popular mythology states that if you know the name of one of the little people, you can control them completely and they are bound to your service. Thus, from Hayato’s perspective, he’s trying to protect the “fairy” he found. From Tsuna’s point of view, he’s seeing it in a way more accurate to the time period-mainly as a derogatory slur for a homosexual. He thinks Hayato is disgusted by him and may attempt to have him arrested, which colors his reactions quite a bit.)

-Hayato’s arms go tight like a vice, clutching Tsuna to his chest at the thought of this stunning creature disappearing from his life. “Please don’t go!” The silver-haired boy searches his mind for an excuse to keep the other boy here with him, and in a flash, he has it. “You owe me!” The brunet uncurls, tears gathering in his eyes as he looks up at him with suspicion and a bit of fear. “What?” Hayato just smiles, heart flying too high at the thought of seeing his fairy again to notice how distraught the brunet is. “Yeah, I saved your life, right? I don’t want your name, but maybe you can give me something else?”

-Tsuna's expression crumples before he visibly composes himself and nods, albeit reluctantly. “What do you want? I don’t have much money but I could give you that? I think I still have that knife my guardian gave me, and that thick coat too-” Hayato shakes his head, eyes gleaming with conviction. “I want a friend.” Tsuna freezes again and pulls out of Hayato’s hold, expression wary yet weirdly hopeful.

-Hayato nods again, excitement building. “Yeah, a friend! Someone to talk to when the parties get too boring and to keep you company when you’re lonely. You can do that, right?” Tsuna gazes up at him, eyes wide with some unknown emotion, before he blinks back his tears and gives him a watery smile. “You don’t care that I’m a ‘fairy’? That I’m weird?” Hayato’s grin is blinding as he pops to his feet. “Are you kidding? That just makes you even cooler! Think of all the neat adventures we could have, the food we can eat, the places we can go! Although,” the white-haired boy’s smile drops to something more focused as he begins to pace around the balcony, one hand at his chin. “I’ll have to be the one who takes care of meals, don’t want to be enchanted, and I don’t know if anyone else can even _see_ you yet. And then there’s…”

-Tsuna wipes his eyes, confused but happy even as the other boy begins to mutter some truly alarming things about iron. Standing up, he steps right into Hayato’s path, startling him. “I’ll be your friend so long as you don’t call me 'fairy’ again, okay? If you don’t want my actual name , give me a nickname instead-and not some insult either!” Hayato’s laugh rings out gleefully into the night as the clock strikes ten and the bells begin to toll. “Perfect! Let’s be friends, Juudaime!”

-In this universe, Tsuna isn't one of the fae, but he and his guardian, Reborn, do have dying will flames. The flames in question aren't common, but they are a well established phenomenon that have been documented by science as being genetically inheritable and a recessive trait. As such, noble families tend to have dying will flames more often that commoners do as nobles tend to interbreed between houses for "blood purity" and to sometimes specifically pass down their abilities. In order from most to least common it goes Lightning --> Rain --> Sun --> Storm --> Mist --> Cloud --> Sky, with Sky flames being a trademark of those with royal blood.

-Hayato, as a child born into a noble house, is expected to learn how to utilize dying will flames, but as he's young, he doesn't yet recognize all the trademarks of their use. When Tsuna uses his abilities, Hayato assumes it's just the brunet being fae and thus dismisses it, but if he paid more attention, he'd notice that his friend is very careful to never show off in front of adults and never outright confirms his assumptions. 

-Reborn is of noble blood, is in fact from one of the most powerful mafia families, but he and Tsuna are in hiding while he tutors his charge in how to use his abilities.

-Reborn was one of the honor guard to Luce, who was considered the "Kind Princess of Italy" even though she was only rumored to have noble blood and had no direct ties to the pope or any of the mafia bosses. When Luce died via willingly eating a slice of poisoned cake at a banquet, Reborn and the rest of the Arcobaleno were disgraced and forced to flee for fear of being blamed for her murder. Reborn's feelings about his mistress are a complicated stew of longing, guilt, and anger as he hates her for dying when she so easily could have avoided it but misses her as she was one of the most loving people he had ever known. He hates himself a little bit, too, for letting his lady die.

-The night of Luce's death had the the news in an uproar and inspired a panicked riot in the streets, during which several houses are burned down in the chaos and many people are injured. Reborn, on the run and feeling lost and without purpose, sees a boy about to die in one such burning building and pauses just long enough to see him burst into a ball of Sky flames when he tries to rescue his parents with his Dying Will. Shocked, confused, and more than a little foggy on the whys and hows of it all, Reborn sacrifices precious time to drag the boy free from the blaze and carry him into the forest just outside of the city limits.

-Carrying the injured, sobbing child in his arms is enough to activate Reborn's latent protective instincts even as he kicks himself over stupidly taking this piece of dead weight with him- this isn't Luce and he shouldn't compare them, saving this kid won't bring her back, and if he wants to live for longer than the next twelve hours, he's far better off ditching the kid and making a break for it.

-Reborn slows his march when he comes to a clearing and in the darkness of the night, he can still make out the flickering of flames in the distance from between the trees. He hasn't run far enough, not yet, and children are not conducive to avoiding capture. The boy will have to stay behind. Reborn tries to put Tsuna down but he latches onto his shirt with both hands and refuses to let go, hiding his teary face in the crook of his neck. Sighing, Reborn attempts to explain that he has to go or he'll be blamed for Luce's death and what follows is a very annoying game of ask and answer.

-When it comes to light that yes, Luce is Reborn's precious person, and yes, he's at fault for her death, and no, he didn't kill her, Tsuna goes very silent and very still. And then he lets go. Cautious of the sudden change, Reborn sets Tsuna on his feet and kneels down to look him in the eyes.

-Tsuna is pouting, eyes hard with determination despite the tears still gathered at their corners. It shakes Reborn to the core. "It's okay, Mister. I understand. It's okay if you gotta go. Just..." Reborn studies his face a moment before prompting him to continue. "Just what, monello?" Tsuna then launches into a rant about how Reborn isn't at fault for Luce's death, he can't be, because if Reborn is guilty simply because he couldn't save her, then Tsuna is guilty too. And Reborn is struck by the fact that, for all that this kid isn't particularly helpful in his escape, he's not supposed to be- he's a kid. One who just watched his parents die in front of him; and _he's_ the jerk who's just spent the last ten minutes implying that accidents are to be blamed on those who survive them.

\- Tsuna continues to angrily assuage Reborn of his guilt, and the ex-Arcobaleno is filled with a wave of compassion and awe for this boy who is more concerned for a stranger than for his own injuries. A guardian bond snaps into place and Reborn decides then and there that he will keep Tsuna with him as he attempts to rebuild his life.

-Reborn spends the next year stealing enough money to buy himself and his Sky a cottage in a remote corner of Italy and the next three after that learning what stability is once more. Early on, he puts together that Tsuna's dad was a high-ranking member of a crime famiglia and that Tsuna is a bastard child, although the brunet has no clue about his ties to, if not the mafia throne, than at least a position close to it. Sky flames that pure don't happen without some serious bloodline power behind them, after all. As such, Reborn decides to tutor Tsuna in everything a noble would ever need to learn, drawing on his experience as a guardian to Luce to give his ward the best education possible.

-Tsuna becomes Reborn's new purpose, someone to look after and devote his heart to now that Luce is dead. As such, he steps into the role of parent for his ward and is fiercely protective of him. However, due to his background in the mafia and his own reticent nature, he doesn't show his affection that well sometimes, which is why Tsuna is scared to come out as gay to him. Reborn's training is cruel, but he would move mountains for his ward, and thus wouldn't care.

\- The night after the party, Hayato sneaks out of bed and spends the next four hours waiting on the balcony in the hopes that his fairy will reappear- which Tsuna does, but some time a little after dawn, which is when _normal people_ wake up. The brunet scrambles up the ivy clinging to the outside wall and jumps onto the balcony, pockets heavy with peppermint candy and all set to strike a deal with Hayato, only to find the silver-haired boy fast asleep with his face smooshed against the marble railing. A little weirded out, Tsuna sneaks into the boy's bedroom and snags a balnket which he then drapes over his new friend. He then figures it's probably best to just let the weirdo sleep- if he thinks stone if comfortable, more power to him- and ditches his stash of candy nearby to show the silver-haired boy that he really did show up as promised.

\- Tsuna goes home to eat breakfast with Reborn and Hayato wakes up, frustrated at first that his fairy never showed, and then ecstatic to find the candy and the blanket, which means that he _did_. He shows the peppermints to Bianca, his half-sister, in an effort to show her that his fairy is real and he didn't lie, honest! Magic is real, stupid bugiardo, and this proves it! Bianca is unimpressed and tattles to their parents that Hayato spent the night sleeping on the balcony. His parents, understandably concerned, stick a lock on his window and bedroom door and figure the matter settled.

\- Hayato, only more determined to meet with his fairy, tries to figure out a way to break the lock off that following night only to find Tsuna in the process of breaking _in._ One of the many lessons Reborn is teaching him is how to pick locks and frankly the locks on the windows are so easy it's almost insulting. Hayato, who's never had experience with the more disreputable side of society and the skills related to such business, is only more convinced that his Juudaime is a fairy with powerful magic- and Tsuna, who does not want to have to explain his actual actions or where he learned them, lets him have his delusion. The pair spend the nigtht talking and working out just what "being friends" entails, which to Tsuna means trying to assess just how much of a debt he owes Hayato and to Hayato means trying to stay out of debt to his fairy. All the books he's read make being in debt to one of the little people out to be a very, very bad thing and he has no wish to accidentally sell his soul to this fae creature, no matter how pretty.

\- The deal they strike is overly complicated and Hayato is so nit-picky about the wording that it makes Tsuna's head spin but the agreement they come to is thus- Hayato will protect his Juudaime from iron and salt (Tsuna assumes he means things like knives and isn't sure how he feels about that- hooray for not being stabbed, he guesses?) and will provide weekly tithes to him in the form of sugar and butter and cream. Tsuna, in turn, will take Hayato out on nightly adventures and keep him safe from harm any time the two travel to parts unknown (kind of a weird way to ask for help sneaking out, but Tsuna's heard dumber requests). Hayato also steadfastly refuses to give Tsuna his name but insists on being called "Smoking Bomb" for some reason? Whatever.

-This kicks off a series of outrageous adventures which freak Tsuna out but Hayato loves. Be it jumping off the roof or running into the forest without a flashlight, Hayato acts rashly and with full confidence that Tsuna will save him, which causes some of the crazier things to happen and forces Tsuna to use his dying will flames to save them both. Regardless of the danger, though, the two always come out alive and laughing at the insanity that is their lives. It's glorious amounts of fun.

\- One of their earliest adventures involved Hayato testing the limits of Tsuna's powers by running off into the forest with nothing but the clothes on his back and daring his Juudaime to "catch him if he can!" Tsuna, understandably freaked out that Hayato's family will find out who kidnapped their son and _murder him_ for letting the silver-haired boy out of his sight, lights up a hand with flames and rushes off to follow him. Hayato leads the brunet on a merry chase through the forest, somehow not noticing all the dangerous wildlife and pitfalls along the way, and stops just on the edge of a cliff that marks the end of his family's property. Tsuna, as clumsy as always, bowls right into him and the two go hurtling off the edge. Hayato is screaming, the wind is rushing past fast enough to make his eyes water, and all Tsuna can think is _no_ \- he refuses to let his only friend die today. With his heart thudding in his ears, Tsuna enters hyper dying will mode and, catching a squirming Hayato around the waist, flies them both to safety back at the top of the cliff. There, Hayato reveals that he wasn't screaming out of joy but from excitement and can they please do that again, please please please Juudaime? Tsuna just collapses into a puddle of stress on the ground in response.

**Author's Note:**

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Faeries - A late 1970s and early 80s organization for gay men, also how the term "fairy" got linked to being homosexual.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy) - A look into Italy's tumultuous political climate during the 1960s through the 80s. Assassinations were common during this time so the way Luce died isn't spectacularly outside the norm.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_crime_in_Italy - A look into the most powerful mafia families in Italy, as well as a little of just what each of them did. Luce would have had quite a bit of power, both legitimate and not.


End file.
